Monday, January 28, 2008

Inge to join catchers in Lakeland

According to Danny Knobler, Brandon Inge has agreed to join the catchers in Lakeland when they report on February 13. General Manager Dave Dombrowski made it very clear a couple weeks ago that he would like to have Inge on the roster and that he wanted him to catch. However, there had been some doubts as to whether Inge, who earlier requested a trade, would agree to catching again. The Tigers have tried to trade him but his contract (3 years $19 million) and poor year offensively have made it difficult to get a good return. Now, it appears that he will be on the Tigers roster again in 2008.

This is good news as he can be a very valuable supersub filling in at catcher, third base and outfield. With his athleticism, it's also possible he could occasionally play other other infield positions. He would be especially valuable if Vance Wilson is not ready to return from Tommy John surgery at the beginning of the season. With this possibly being Pudge Rodriguez's last year as Tiger and with no replacement ready, it is also conceivable that Inge could become the team's starting catcher in 2009.